Regulator for gas and petroleum motors.



ff; Manually controlled.

No. 818,612. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. H. GROUAN.

REGULATOR FOR GAS AND PETROLEUM MOTORS.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 3. 1899.

No. 818,612. PATENTEDAPR. 24, 1906. H. GROUAN.

REGULATOR FOR GAS AND PETROLEUM MOTORS.

PPLICATION FILED JAN. 3; 1899. A 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 818,612. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. H. CROUAN.

REGULATOR FOR GAS AND PETROLEUM MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1899.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No. 818,612. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. H. GROUAN.

REGULATOR FOR GAS AND PETROLEUM MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.3.1899.

\ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 ver 1 and contiguous parts.

vation of the'parts seen in Fig. at right anof the regulator.

HENRY CROUAN, 0E CLICHY, FRANCE.

REGULATOR FOR GAS AND PETROLEUM MOTORS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed January 3, 1899. Serial No. 701,027.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CRoUAN, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Clichy, Department of the Seine, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulators for Gas and Petroleum Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas or petroleum engines, and has more particular reference to regulators for such engines capable of controlling at any moment the force of explosion in order to produce the required power and to suitably limit the rate of speed of the engine.

In order that my invention may be roperly understood, I have hereunto appen ed four explanatory sheets of drawings, in which like letters of reference denote similar parts.

Figure l is a broken side elevation of an engine provided with my improved device, and Fig. 2 is a] plan view of same with parts shown in section. Fig.3 is a sectional plan view F 1g. 4 is avertical sectional view of sleeve m. Fig. 4 is an end view of the sleeve m. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the le- Fig. 6 is an elegles to said Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the regulator, the sleeve m, part of lever l, and contiguous parts.

My improved regulator is essentially comosed of two weights, (indicated by referenceetter D in the accompanying drawings,) said weights beingi mounted on the ends of two 35 9 arms adapt to turn around two "ournals p 19 The journals p p are carrie by the wheel R of the engine, and the regulator is adapted to make one revolution for each two revolutions of-the engine. By the action of centrifugal force this regulator tends to get upright and to be placed across the shaft q, around which revolves the wheel R, mounted thereon, whereby it presses upon a yokelink I), turning around the pivot 0 and carrying with it the sliding sleeve m, said sleeve bein under the action of the coil-spring K. It follows from this arrangement that to each rate of speed of the engine will correspond a determined position of the sleeve m. The latter actuates a three-armed lever Z, turning around a journal S and following the movement of sleeve m. Said three-armed lever Z, one branch of which is actuated by sleeve m, carries two tubes 2) and w, fitted over its two other cylindrical branches, said tubes '0 and :1; being provided at tlieir adjacent ends with two crank-arms o and m, respectively, connected by a brace h, to which is pivotally secured anoperating-lever T, and it follows from this construction that said 0 eratinglever T will cause said tubes 0 an a: to revolve together in either direction, accordin to the motion imparted to the same, or wild lock said tubes on the three-armed lever Z when at rest and locked itself by means of the lever U, which may be locked in different positions by the usual spring-actuated dog-andrack device. (Seen at theright-hand end of F' 1.)

The tube a: carries a small arm mechanicall connected with the arm 1' of throttleva ve H, controlling the admission of the explosive mixture through the intermediary of a slotted rod y, the central slot of which receives the branch 2, telescoped therein and connected with arm y by a spring or its equivalent g.

The tube '12 carries a small arm operating by means of the rod u the electric contact-piece c, the part (1 of which is connected therewith by an intermediary a of insulating material in such a manner that the current at the terminal will only pass through the engine when the metallic arts 0 and C, mounted on an intermediary of insulating material and secured to wheel R, electrically connected with the body of the engine. metallic part 0 C there is a plurality of small parts 1" r 1' 1", independent of one another and of the parts 0 C, but connected with one another and with the parts 0 C by means of very thin but strong wires. Thus between the part C and the part 1" there is a thin and very short wire, between 1 and r there is another longer wire, and so on, so that a gradually increased resistance will be inserted into the circuit, according as the contact takes place on O 1' r r r 1". The metallic parts 0 C are suitably shaped so that the circuit may be closed at the desired moment in accordance with the position of the contact-piece d, depending on the speed of the engine. There are two parts 0 and C closing the current, because the wheel R of the engine and because there must be one ignition at each revolution of the engine e ther for one cylinder or the other, provided that the engine has two. cylinders, with one -explosion at eachrevolution.

The movement of the rod T has practically makes but one revolution for two revolutionsthe end of the contact-plece contacts with On the side of each no effect on the rod 1.0, because the travel of the arm end, to which said rod is connected, is nearly ml. The igniter I use is the subject of the British Patent N 0. 25,582, 1897, and therefore I deem it unnecessary to add further description of it here. The contactbreaker, which serves both to close and to break the circuit at the required moments, is placed in a weak current derived from an ordinary or a storage battery. The sliding contact-piece t, secured at the end of the springblade and connected by a wire with one of the terminals of'the battery, c oses the circuit when it comes into contact with the me.- tall'ic part C or C of the contact-breaker, said contact-breaker being in contact with the body of the motor, which is in turn connected with the other terminal of the battery. As an induction-coil is inserted in the circuit of the battery, and as this coil is connected with the igniter above mentioned, immediately the circuit is established an electric spark is produced on the igniter, which is screwed in the bottom of the cylinder, and the mixture is thereupon ignited.

When sliding contact if leaves the contact C or C, the circuit is open, as the whole of part F of the contact-breaker is formed of in sulating material, or else it is insulated. The circuit being open, the coil no longer generates an induced current and the igniter produces no spark. I

The object of the resistances 1 1" r r 1 is as follows: When an electric current is suddenly interrupted, a spark is produced which has an injurious and deteriorating effect on the metal. Consequently the contact C and C were it not for the resistance I provide .tion of the metallic contacts.

would soon become inoperative. Instead of abruptly breaking the current it is gradually weakened by the insertion of five or six resistances, each stronger than the one immediately preceding it, the current, say, of three amperes, being thus reduced first to two and one-half, then to two, then one and one-half, and so on until it is entirely broken. There will still be the extra break-current, but it will be of such small intensity that no spark will be produced and there will consequently be no wearing away of the metal or deteriora- With this object in view the resistance-plates 1' 1" 1' r 1' are connected, the first plate with the principal contact 0 or C, the second with the first, and so on, each plate being connected with the preceding one by means of a German-sil ver or white-metal wire of such length and strength that the current will each time be diminished proportionately to the number of plates, therebyavoiding the spark and preserving the contacts from injury.

My improved engine will operate as follows: First, I will consider three principal rates of speed, it being well understood that the intermediary rates ofspeed may be obtained by a corresponding movement of the rod T.

1. Low speed.-I pull the o crating-lever T in the direction of the arrow, ig. 1, whereby the rod y will be thrown into contact with the part .2 without moving the three-armed lever Z. With the least movement of the regulatorthe inlet-valve tends to be shut, and the engine will therefore revolve at a very low rate of s eed. If I desire a still lower rate of speed, have but to ull said operating-lever T still farther and the inletvalve will almost be shut before the beginning of the action of the regulator. As soon as the latter operates said inlet-valve will be completel shut and the speed of the engine will be as fbw as possible.

2. Normal speed.-In order to obtain a normal rate of speed, I push the operatin lever T back in such a manner that there W1 1 be a suitable distance between the parts y and z. The regulator, therefore, must first move back said operating-lever (to compensate said distance between y and 2) before acting upon the inlet valve, and consequently the en e will revolve at a higher rate of speed be ore causing the inlet-valve to be shut.

. 3. High speed.-If it is desired to obtain the maximum of speed, the operating-lever T has but to be pushed back sufficiently so that the regulator in either osition cannot cause the rod 3 to contact wit 2. Said regulator will therefore no longer act upon the 1nlet-valve and the speed of the engine will not be limited. The contact-piece t causes the moment ofi 'tion to be modified in accordance with t e opening of the inletvalve that is, in accordance with the quality of fresh ex losive mixture to be introduced. This variable quantity of fresh mixture Will form with the constant quantity of consumed mixture remaining Within the cylinder after each stroke of the iston an explosive mixture of variable com ustibility. The moment of ignition must therefore vary with the degree of said mixture and said ignition must take place so much the faster, as the explosive mixture is weaker. This will be effected by the relative movement of the tube 12, whereby the explosive mixture will be ignited in accordance with the degree of combustibility thereof with regard to the moment of ignition.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a regulator for gas or petroleum e'ngines, the combination with a throttle-valve and an operating-wheel therefor, of a weighted lever, a sleeve connected therewith and fitted over the shaft of the said wheel, a controlling-spring, a yoke-link 'ournaledat'one end and connected at the ot er end with the sleeve, a three-armed lever mechanically con- 'nected with the throttlervalve, a tubular sleeve :10 fitted over one branch of said lever, a rod pivotally attached to said tubular sleeve and provided with a central slot a second rod adapted to extend into the former and connected with the stem of the throttlevalve, a suitable spring connecting said rods and means for allowing the position of said tubular sleeve 0: to be determined by hand, at will, substantially as described.

2. In a speed-regulating device for gas or petroleum engines, the combination with a throttle-valve and an operating-wheel, of the weighted lever, the sliding sleeve actuated thereby and mounted on the shaft of said wheel, the controlling-spring, the yoke-link journaled at one end and connected at the other end with the sleeve, a two-armed lever Z adapted to turn round the journal and carcontact-piece actuated by the said connecting-rod and a series of contacts adapted to ofier a gradual increased resistance to the electric current, substantially as described.

HENRY CROUAN. Witnesses:

CAMILLE- RoLLAND, A1) HURON. 

